A trend in multimedia consumption is the paradigm shift away from traditional broadcast video such as a cable or satellite broadcasts to one in which users select live or on-demand media to consume. This trend has disrupted the way in which consumers select and consume media. As a result, a plethora of multimedia sources are available to many consumers. For example, rather than having a single cable television subscription, a user may now have subscriptions to several different streaming video services that each provide access to a unique catalog of video. A user may subscribe to individual channels, services, or collections of content from many sources. Examples of these services include but are not limited to Netflix™, Hulu™, Amazon Instant Video™, HBO Go™, Showtime Anytime™, among others. Each of these services provides an end user application for receiving their unique content offerings on an end user computing device such as a smart TV or set top streaming box.
The end user experience in consuming media from these sources is quite different than how media was consumed over broadcast cable or satellite television. In the old model, a user would tune a television to a channel and see whatever was being broadcast at that time. The user had no choice of content other than to change the channel. Under the new paradigm, a user of a computing device starts a provider's end user application. Then the user navigates a graphical user interface to select media to display. The end user application sends a request to the service provider for that unit of media, and after a period of buffering the media playback begins. A plethora of multimedia is available to view at any given time, and users are able to pause, rewind, and fast forward through much of it.